Electronic business equipment such as, for example, telecommunication devices, computers, and modems, typically have a wide variety of voltage carrying electronic components mounted onto a printed circuit board. United States and international regulatory standards may require that these types of equipment have no exposed areas where an operator may come into contact with hazardous voltages.
Attempts have been made to cover electronic components that are mounted onto a printed circuit board. A one piece plastic housing has been used which includes a base portion and a cover portion joined by a flexible hinged portion which runs along the entire length of the housing. The housing is typically attached to the printed circuit board by positioning a section of the printed circuit board between the base portion and the cover portion, folding the base portion and the cover together, and mechanically fastening the base portion to the cover portion through the printed circuit board. However, the fold over design may not be compatible with every type of circuit board, and the hinged design restricts the placement of the housing on the circuit board.
Moreover, conventional mechanical fasteners that have been used to fasten the base portion to the cover portion such as, for example, rivets, screws or bolts, have several disadvantages. Riveting is time and labor intensive which increases manufacturing costs. Moreover, if the electronic components need to be accessed to be serviced or reconfigured, the removal of rivets may cause damage to the circuit board. Using screws or bolts is very expensive and is also time and labor intensive.
Conventional welding techniques, such as sonic welding, have been used to permanently fasten the cover portion to the base portion. However, the welding is labor intensive and does not provide a convenient way to remove the cover portion from the base portion.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a protective cover apparatus that overcomes the disadvantages described above, and to provide a simple and cost effective protective cover apparatus.